BC-BKC--Syracuse-Wake Forest

March 2, 2019

AP Basketball Writer

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Tyus Battle scored 21 points and Syracuse held Wake Forest without a basket for 13½ minutes in the second half in Saturday’s 79-54 win.

Elijah Hughes added 18 points for the Orange (19-10, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had little trouble knocking down shots from the opening tip. But Syracuse led by just five early in the second half before the Demon Deacons went cold and gave the Orange their chance to steadily stretch the lead into a blowout.

Syracuse shot 54 percent and dominated inside, finishing with a 44-10 edge in points in the paint.

Chaundee Brown had 14 points for the Demon Deacons (11-17, 4-12), who trailed just 40-35 early after the break on Sharone Wright Jr.’s layup off a turnover at the 19:14 mark. But they didn’t hit another basket until Torry Johnson’s 3-pointer with 5:41 left, long after the Orange had blown the game open.

BIG PICTURE

Syracuse: This was the second straight game in the state of North Carolina for the Orange, who lost at fifth-ranked UNC on Tuesday night. That had closed a difficult stretch of three straight games against ranked opponents, with two ranked in the top five. Things were much easier Saturday.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had come in with some momentum after rallying from 10 down in the last two minutes to beat Miami on Tuesday night. Things turned ugly this time, with Wake Forest missing 11 straight shots and committing frequent turnovers as the game turned into a rout. The Demon Deacons shot 33 percent for the game and committed 14 of their 23 turnovers after halftime.

UP NEXT

Syracuse: No. 2 Virginia visits the Orange on Monday.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons visit No. 3 Duke on Tuesday.

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